


The Museum

by tinyginger



Series: The Love of Three [1]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst, Autistic Spencer Reid, Bisexual Derek Morgan, Bisexual Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Bisexual Spencer Reid, Comfort, F/M, First Date (kind of), Fluff, Getting Together, Happy, M/M, Multi, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Sexual Abuse, Polyamory, Team as Family, established relationship JJ/Reid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:34:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25725982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyginger/pseuds/tinyginger
Summary: Morgan is confused by his feelings towards his two co-workers, in attempts to figure out who he likes he invites them both to spend their day off together.
Relationships: Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau & Derek Morgan & Spencer Reid, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Derek Morgan, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia & Derek Morgan, Penelope Garcia & Jennifer "JJ" Jareau & Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia/Jennifer "JJ" Jareau
Series: The Love of Three [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1866064
Comments: 4
Kudos: 124





	1. Part One

“Friendship often ends in love, but love in friendship - never.” –Albert Camus

Slow music played softly from the dusty old CD player that was rarely used for anything other than having books stacked on top of it. The kitchen was dark, only illuminated by the light above the stove and what creeped in from the moon and street lamps outside the window. The room still smelled like the stirfry that had been cooked and eaten three hours prior. Two wine glasses sat on the counter, both nearly empty, but ignored for the time being. Two figures swayed as they held onto each other, their bare feet patting the linoleum. 

Spencer gazed down at the woman held against him. She was wearing an old CalTech t-shirt with faded lettering and a less vibrant color. The shirt wasn’t too baggy on her tiny frame, he had only been a child when he attended CalTech, and his older shirts had been the smallest size they had available. Because the shirt was a near perfect fit, the boxers she had stolen from his underwear drawer were on full display. Not that either of them minded. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, her messy blonde hair tickling his nose as he did so. 

JJ smiled as she felt the kiss being placed upon her head. She nuzzled into the soft fabric of her boyfriend’s brown sweatshirt, then looked up to his eyes. Love filled every feature and poured out of him as he held her tighter. A small bruise was forming over his cheekbone and his wine stained lips were cracked and swollen. Her heart clenched as she looked over the man she nearly lost today, tears threatening to fall from her eyes again. 

“I’m okay,” Spencer whispered, his chest vibrating as he spoke.

JJ nodded, “I know.”

“You’re not going to lose me.” 

Her eyes were wide as she pressed her lips together in a tight line, attempting to stifle the sob bubbling up in her throat, “Just… hold me.”

“Okay.”

In the morning, JJ woke to sun already streaming in through the curtains as her phone continued to chirp on the bedside table.

“Hello?” She answered, praying it wasn’t a case and trying not to wake the sleeping man next to her. 

“JJ, did I wake you? I’m sorry.”

“Morgan?” JJ rubbed her eyes and yawned, “No, it’s alright. Do we have a case?”

“Thankfully no, I was just wondering if you’d like to spend the day with Reid and I?” Morgan sounded nervous. 

JJ turned to look at Spencer and poked his arm until he woke up and looked at her in confusion. He then spotted the phone and mouthed, ‘case?’. She winced at the bruises that had darkened overnight and the dried blood on his chin from his split lip. 

“Oh, what were you and Spence planning on doing today?” JJ asked into the phone then mouthed ‘Morgan’ to Spencer who looked even more confused. 

“Uh… we didn’t really have anything planned.” Morgan said, “Any suggestions?”

“Well, I do know Spence has been wanting to go to some museum exhibit.” JJ smirked when the sleepy man perked up at her words. “Does that sound like something you’d be interested in?”

“Yeah, sounds fun.” Morgan agreed, “Should I come pick you up?”

“Nah, I’ll grab Spence on the way and we’ll come over to your place before leaving.” 

“Great, see you soon.” Morgan sounded relieved. 

Once she was off the phone she turned to Spencer and smiled, “Morgan’s gonna call you.”

“Okay?”

JJ climbed out of bed and slipped on his hoodie that was laid over the back of the chair next to the bed, “I’ll start coffee.” 

“Mmmm coffee,” Spencer hummed happily. 

When Morgan called, Spencer let his phone ring a few times before answering. He smiled at the tone of his voice as Morgan nervously stumbled over his words. 

“How’s that sound?” Morgan finished his invitation with more confidence than he’d had at the beginning of the call. 

“Sounds great!” Spencer smiled then furrowed his brow, “Morgan?”

“Yeah Kid?”

Spencer made eye contact with JJ as she handed him a mugful of sugar and coffee, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, yesterday… yesterday was a lot.” Morgan sighed and sounded a lot more somber and stress and sadness crept into his voice. “How’re you?”

“Oh…” Spencer stretched to see his face in the mirror across the room, it was blurry but he could make out what he wanted, “The swelling has gone down a bit, but the bruises are darker this morning. I’m okay though.”

Morgan wasn’t convinced but he would be seeing Reid in a few hours and he’d be able to check him over himself, so he let it slide, “JJ will be over to pick you up soon.”

“Okay.”

Once the call ended, quiet settled over the apartment. JJ curled up on the bedroom chair, her coffee bug resting on her knees when it wasn’t pressed to her lips. Spencer leaned against the headboard, bed sheets covering most of his body, hairy messy, and coffee mug attached to his mouth. 

Neither one spoke until they had finished their first cup of coffee. After that they both stumbled to the kitchen and grabbed their second cup. While they sipped their coffee, Spencer looked around the kitchen. Their plates were still in the sink, and they left their wine glasses out last night. It wasn’t too messy, but he didn’t like leaving a mess longer than a day, he never knew when he’d be gone for a week because of a case and when he’d come home his apartment would smell funny. 

“So this was a surprise.” JJ spoke as she refilled her mug. 

“What?”

JJ smirked, “Morgan calling out of the blue, and inviting us to hang out.” 

“Oh, right.” Spencer nodded, “He seemed worried about my injuries when I spoke with him. He may be using this as an excuse to make sure I don’t have a concussion or whatever he was worried about yesterday when I didn’t go to the hospital, even though I explained to him that it was just superficial scrapes, and some bruising. But he told me I’m not a medical doctor. Which is true, but I have enough knowledge and experience to know that my cheekbone is not fractured, my jaw is fine, and I don’t have a concussion. I don’t get why everyone thinks I am incapable of taking care of myself. I’ve done it my whole life, and I’m still here right? I’m a functioning adult with more PhDs than most people my age.”

“We know, Spence, it’s not that we don’t think you’re capable of taking care of yourself. We just care about you.” JJ ghosted her hand over his arm, “We worry because we love you so much.”

He couldn’t keep the smile from tugging at the corner of his mouth, so he ducked his head and let his hair fall in his face. JJ always found it too adorable when he did that and couldn’t help but reach up and caress his bruised cheek before placing a gentle kiss to his lips. 

They spent an hour in the kitchen, snacking on whatever food was deemed acceptable breakfast, which wasn’t a lot. Spencer also quickly did the dishes so he didn’t think about it all day. They finished the pot of coffee and decided it was time to take a shower and get ready to go. 

“Do you think Morgan is queer?” Spencer asked as they stripped while waiting for the shower to heat up. 

JJ shrugged, “It’d be nice.”

“He doesn’t seem homophobic.”

“No, but he could always just be an ally.” 

“Do you think he’d be into joining a couple? If he is, infact, queer?” Spencer tested the water and stepped under the spray. 

“Again, it’d be nice.” 

Spencer sighed and handed her the shampoo, “Do you think he’d even like me?”

“Of course he’d like you!” JJ stopped washing her hair to make sure she held eye contact with Spencer. “You know that that’s not even going to be an issue right?”

“I’m positive it will be a large percentage of the issue.” Spencer corrected, “We know he is attracted to you, he’s confirmed it many times. We know he likes women, that is common knowledge. The three things we don't know are if he likes men, if he finds me attractive, and if he would be comfortable joining a couple. I’d say I roughly make up 75% of the issue.”

JJ rolled her eyes and moved him over so she could rinse her hair, “You know, they way I see it, you have a better shot with Morgan than I do.”

Spencer sputtered as water from JJ’s hair splattered his face, “I disagree.”

“We’ll just have to let Derek prove you wrong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ya... this is a thing :)


	2. Part Two

Birds had just started chirping outside the widow when Derek’s 62 pound gigantic puppy pounced on his chest, knocking the wind out of him in the process. A cold wet nose pressed against his cheek and as soon as he opened his eyes to peak at the excited puppy, his face was attacked by the creature’s tongue. 

“Clooney!” Derek groaned as he tried to escape the attacking tongue, “I’m up, I’m up!”

The huge puppy followed Derek around as he got ready for his run. It was easier to get ready when he didn’t have a small bear demanding his attention every few minutes. 

“I know you’re excited, but I need to put my shoes on if we’re going for a run.” Derek chuckled. 

Clooney loved morning runs and always got a little too excited when Derek started to lace up his sneakers. The puppy ran over to where his harness and leash were stored and grabbed the harness, dragging around the room as he waited impatiently for Derek to be ready. 

Like most mornings, it took Derek longer to get out the door than he would have liked mainly due to his crazy puppy. But once they were on their run Clooney mellowed out and trotted along next to Derek. Derek hadn’t been taking his pup on long runs yet, his baby was still young and got tired easily. He learned early on that if they went too hard for too long he’d end up carrying the heavy fluff ball home. 

After his shower, Derek checked on Clooney who was still laying on his bed, where he’d been since they got back from their run. He sat down on the end of the bed and sighed as he spun his phone in his hands. 

“Should I do it?” Derek asked the dog, “Do you think they’d want to hang out? Go on a date? Where should I take them? Huh? What would JJ and Reid both enjoy?”

The dog didn’t answer but Derek decided to call JJ anyway. His heart raced when she answered and asked if they had a case. She sounded sleepy but his heart felt lighter when she suggested they go to the museum. It was perfect. They would have infinite topics to talk about that didn’t involve work, they would probably end up spending the whole day together at the museum, Spencer would probably have more knowledge to share about each exhibit, and JJ would be able to talk the younger man into having dinner with them. 

His conversation with Spencer was a little less nerve racking and yet filled him with more anxiety than he had when speaking to JJ. Maybe it was the fact that Spencer Reid was a man, a man who didn’t seem to be interested in anyone. Derek knew he wanted to date people, he had “dated” Lila for a while, he’d kissed the woman. Derek hadn’t understood why he was so upset that Reid had kissed Lila until he ranted to Garcia about it when they got back. That’s when he figured out that he had feelings for the young genus. That had thrown him for a loop because 1) he thought he was attracted to JJ, and 2) he had been doing really good at being straight. 

He had been hoping Spencer was not awake enough to pick up on the anxiety Derek could hear in his own voice, but the kid was more observant than most, especially when it came to his friends. Derek didn’t lie to him when he said that yesterday had been stressful. The team had watched their youngest get beaten to a near pulp and could do nothing to stop the Unsub. A pack of Unsubs, traffic that kept half the team separated, and one pissed off psychotic pack leader who didn’t enjoy a young FBI agent outthinking him left Reid covered in bruises. Morgan had tried to convince him to go to the hospital, but the kid was stubborn and hated hospitals. They compromised on Ried letting an EMT take a look at him before accepting JJ’s offer to drive him home and sit with him for a while to make sure he was actually okay. 

Once the call was over, Derek checked the time and decided he should get ready and wait for them to get there. His first issue arose a moment later when he realized he didn’t know what to wear. He wasn’t sure if he should dress as if it was a date, because it wasn’t but it could be. He didn’t know if they’d be getting dinner after the museum and if they did would they go out to a nice restaurant with wine and hors d'oeuvres or would they have beer and pizza. 

He picked up his phone again and called the one person he knew he could talk to about this: Penelope Garcia. 

“Mmmm what did I do to deserve a call from God himself on this fine Saturday morning?” Garcia answered, immediately making his anxiety decrease. 

“Hey Mama, I need some advice.” Morgan greeted. 

“Advice? What kind of advice?” 

Morgan sighed and shook his head, “I can’t decide on what to wear.”

“Do you have a date?” Garcia gasped, “Are you cheating on me Derek Morgan!? I demand to know what girl has you calling me to ask for wardrobe advice!”

“It’s not a date, maybe. That’s why I need your help, I know what to wear on dates, but I’m lost right now.”

“Okay, what are you doing on this maybe date?” Garcia asked. 

Derek smiled, “We’re going to a museum.” 

“You should call Reid, he’d know what to wear on a date to a museum.” 

“Yeah… I can’t really call him about this.” Morgan rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Why? Is he okay?” Garcia’s voice raised an octave as images of Reid’s injuries ran through her head. “He has a concussion doesn’t he? Did he go to the doctor?”

“He’s fine, I already called him this morning, he sounded okay.” Morgan told her. “He said the swelling went down some, but his bruises look worse.”

“He’s downplaying it, you know he does that.”

“I know, I’ll make sure he’s okay.”

The gasp on the other end altered Morgan that she had figured at least half of who was going on this maybe date with him, “He’s going to love the museum! That’s so cute!”

“JJ suggested it.”

“She would know.” Garcia stated, “Why is this a maybe date? Does he know you like him? Does he know you want this to be a date? That boy may be the smartest person we know but he is so incredibly dumb sometimes especially when it comes to stuff like this.”

“It’s a maybe date because JJ is coming too.” Morgan sighed. 

“Oh… so it’s…”

“I just want to spend some time with them, maybe try and figure out my feelings while we’re away from work.” Morgan explained. “Maybe we’re just better as friends, or maybe they are in love and I’m just wasting my time trying to figure out who I like.”

Derek could hear the hesitation in the silence while Garcia restrained herself from revealing personal information about their two young friends. She wanted to tell him what she knows, it would make his life easier, probably, but what she knows is not something for her to tell. 

“Wear dark, unripped jeans, and a button down that you can roll the sleeves up on.” Garcia told him. “That way you’re not too formal, but you’re also dressed for the museum and possibly a nice dinner.” 

“What would I do without you?”

“I’m sure you could have figured that out on your own. But It would have probably taken too long and you’d be second guessing yourself all day.” Garcia chuckled. “Now, get ready for your maybe date, and make sure to remember everything because I want details and Reid will talk too much about the exhibits if I ask him.”

“Will do Baby Girl.” Morgan smiled.

“Make me proud.” Garcia said as a goodbye. 

Morgan chuckled as the line went dead, “Woman.” 

He decided to take Clooney out one more time after getting ready. He wasn’t sure how long they’d be gone and while his puppy was house trained, he was still a puppy. Just as he was finishing up some last minute cleaning and fixing his outfit, JJ called. 

“Hey, you on your way?” He answered. 

“Change of plans, could you come pick us up at Spencer’s? My car won’t start.” JJ sighed.

Derek smiled, “I’m on my way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love Penelope Garcia


	3. Part Three

The drive to Reid’s house wasn’t long, they all lived relatively close to the office. It came in handy when they were on call 24 hours of the day, seven days a week. The short drive didn’t help his nerves. Sure they had all hung out outside of work before. But Derek had a lot riding on this day. He had also put himself under an enormous amount of pressure with his plan to know which of his friends he was going to ask out by the end of the day. If his mom knew what he was planning she would lecture him like he was back in high school. 

‘Derek, you’re treating your friends like they are ice cream flavors. You’re going to lose them both if you do this. You can’t just choose who you like more and date them.’ 

Derek rolled his eyes as his mind supplied the rant in his mother's voice. He wasn’t treating them like ice cream… not really. He was investigating; attempting to determine if JJ or Ried liked him in the way he likes them. But he could lose them. If they found out this whole day was set up so he could figure out who he could date, he could lose them both. JJ might understand if he told her, or he could get her to understand over time. He wasn’t sure about Reid. He could appeal to the young doctor’s science side and say something about testing a thesis or proving a hypothesis or something about data, he’d have to brush up on his scientific terms before that conversation. But he knew the kid’s emotions would fuel his first reaction, and that is what made Spencer Reid so unpredictable. A man of science who had an answer for everything but was sensitive and at times had the raw and explosive emotions of a child. 

JJ answered the door when he knocked, it wasn’t surprising per se, he knew she was there but it was a little off putting. “Sorry, I don’t know what’s up with my car.”

“It’s alright,” Derek hugged her, “Did you get here okay?”

“Oh, yeah…” She took a step back, her hands resting on her hips as she looked back to where Spencer was sitting oblivious to the world with his fingers scanning over the pages of a book. “I actually spent the night here, I don’t know why I didn’t just tell you when you called. He’ll be done in a minute or so.”

“How’s he been? Does he have a concussion?”

“No, I think he’s good. He says the bruises look worse than they are.” 

Derek nodded and walked over to the kitchen and poured what little coffee was left in the coffee pot into a mug, “We’ll stop at a coffee shop before the museum so he can get his fix.” 

“Spence, you ready?” JJ called, grabbing her purse. 

His head shot up, but he smiled when his eyes landed on his friends, “Yeah, sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry, I just want to make sure we have enough time to stop for coffee and get through the museum.” Derek smiled.

“Oh, don’t worry.” Spencer smiled, the cut in his lip splitting again as he did so, “I won’t make you stay too long. I’ll try and keep my time to no more than twenty minutes in each exhibit, and we can leave whenever you guys want to.”

JJ sighed as if he had already discussed his plan with her and didn’t listen when she told him it wasn’t necessary. It hurt Derek’s heart to know the kid feels he needs to make plans like this even when he’s with his friends, two people who he should be able to be himself with completely.

Derek made a face and winked at JJ, “Oh, okay….”

“What?” Spencer started to panic, “I can make it less. Ten minutes? I read fast.”

“No, it’s not that… it just takes me awhile to get through exhibits.” Derek took a deep breath, “I can’t read as fast as you and I like to take it all in and not just read the plaque and move on.”

“Oh, that’s fine.” Spencer smiled, “we can take as much time in each exhibit as you guys want.”

“Hey, you’re part of this tour group too.” JJ poked his arm. 

“I’m fine with whatever.” Spencer assured her. “Don’t worry about me.”

JJ and Derek shared a look but didn’t press the issue any farther. Getting him to understand he didn’t have to make accommodations for his friends, and people that love him was a process. 

The ride to the museum was nice, a comfortable quiet fell between the three as music played softly through the speakers and Spencer gave directions to “the best” coffee shop that was on their way. 

Witnessing Reid interact with the baristas was eye opening for Derek. Not only did they know his name and order, but they also recognized JJ and nearly had her order memorized. The conversation about “finally having a day off” and asking how he was spending it was startling to Derek. In his mind, Spencer wasn’t one to have much of a social life outside of work and academia. 

The question of if he was going to spend the holidays with his mom or if Ethan was coming down again threw Derek for a loop. Derek honestly didn’t think Spencer had friends outside of the BAU. But what made his mind stop and his heart drop a little was JJ’s comment to the barista. 

“He’s out of the picture.” She said it like a girlfriend who was dating a victim of abuse would. 

“Who’s Ethan?” Derek asked in what he hoped was a nonchalant way. 

Spencer shrugged, “My friend.” 

JJ’s scoff brought a frown to Spencer’s face, and Derek watched the incredibly intimate moment of Spencer leaning towards JJ just a little, and lowering his voice to say, “He is my friend.” 

“I know.” JJ took a deep breath, then turned her attention to Derek, but kept her hand on Spencer’s arm. 

Derek looked between the pair, “I’m missing something.”

“Ethan’s in rehab.” Spencer stated, “He’s an alcoholic.” 

“Mean drunk,” JJ translated. 

Spencer sighed, “Jayje.” 

“I’m sorry, he hit you, I can be mad at him for that.” 

“He what?” Derek raised his voice a little too loud for the cafe they were in. “When?”

“We were roommates,” Spencer glanced to the counter, hoping their coffee would be ready soon. “All through college and after, he didn’t get really bad until the end, and now he’s in rehab because he’s not a bad person he just has an illness that causes him to drink and when he does it alters his mind and he shows his more violent side.” 

He stood after that and walked to the counter to wait for their coffee, obviously and understandably upset by the conversation. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“It’s my fault.” JJ waved off his apology. “I should ease up on him, but I don’t think he fully understands that it’s not okay for the people he loves and who claim to love him to hurt him. He gives everyone a pass and it drives me crazy.”

“He sees the good in people.” 

“Yeah,” JJ rolled her eyes, “even when there’s not a whole lot of good to see.” 

The drive to the museum was less comfortable, and left Derek feeling like he was in the car with a married couple who were contemplating divorce. He had only been in that type of situation once before, when he was nineteen and his cousin and her husband were separating but hadn’t told the family yet. It made for a very awkward Christmas. This wasn’t as bad, but it did put a pit in his stomach. 

They were dating, he was sure of it. 

JJ pulled Spencer aside before they went into the museum, just far enough away from Derek so that when they spoke in their hushed tones he couldn’t hear. It seemed to him like that were making up. JJ held one of Spencer’s hands as she attempted to keep eye contact with him. He smiled at one point and pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head as he did so. After that, the tension was gone and Derek found himself following the two into the museum. 

They were definitely dating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	4. Part Four

After the first two exhibits, Spencer lost himself in the excitement and contentment he felt, thus bringing out a side of Dr. Spencer Reid that Derek had never encountered before. The young man didn’t seem to notice, or care, that JJ had a hold of his hand as he led them through the exhibits. Spencer read everything faster than the other two and in his joy of learning something new or just sharing knowledge, he told them what the plaque said before they got a chance to read it. 

Derek had never enjoyed a trip to a museum more than his trip with JJ and Reid. Not only was it more entertaining to listen to Spencer speak than to read the information himself, but Spencer had his own knowledge and would often add it to what he was saying about the exhibit. Some of the stories Derek and JJ found funny and interesting, and most of Spencer’s added knowledge contextualized what they were looking at and gave them a deeper understanding of the time period. 

It didn’t catch up with Spencer that he had basically talked his way through every exhibit until they were sitting at a table in the restaurant JJ had picked. He was in the middle of a passionate rant - about how while he loved the information that was given at museums and felt it was important for the information to be available to everyone, the artifacts belong to other cultures and are stolen property and the exhibits would be just as interesting and impactful if they made models of the relics and artifacts - when his mind finally caught up with him and he stopped mid word. His back went from straight to slouched as he curled his shoulders in, trying to make himself smaller. His hands fell to his lap as his eyes did, and his hair fell over his face. 

“You okay?” Derek asked. 

He nodded but didn’t look up. 

Derek sent JJ a concerned look before JJ leaned over and whispered, “We enjoyed every bit of today.” 

“Sorry.” Spencer mumbled, apparently not hearing her words. 

“Ask Derek if you don’t believe me.” He didn’t say anything so she did, “What was your favorite part of today Derek?”

“Getting to spend it with two amazing people, and having one of those amazing people make the museum entertaining and fun.” Derek smirked and nudged Spencer’s elbow. “I’m talking about you, Pretty Boy.”

That made Spencer's eyes snap up to Derek, “What?”

“I have never enjoyed the museum as much as I have today.” Derek smiled. “I feel like I actually learned something, but it was boring or a chore.”

“But… I talked the entire time.” Spencer furrowed his brow, “Why didn’t you tell me I was being annoying?”

“Because you weren’t.” Derek shrugged, “I enjoyed every minute.” 

Spencer squinted at him but brightened at his words. Not quite believing him but willing to take his statement into consideration. 

“What was your favorite part, JJ?” Spencer asked, once they ordered their food. 

“Where do I start? I got to spend my day with two gorgeous men who were constantly showering me compliments, I got to listen to my boyfriend talk about something he’s passionate about all day, I got this cute bracelet from the gift shop,” JJ listed and winked at Derek, “And now I’m out to dinner with two amazing people.”

“I didn't know you two were dating.” Derek tried not to sound too crushed. 

Spencer smiled brightly as his response. 

“You seem disappointed.” JJ noted. 

“No!” Derek once again spoke too loudly for where they were, “I mean yes, but no… I’m happy for you guys, I think you both deserve someone great and you two are the best people I know so it makes sense.”

JJ put her hand on Spencer’s knee under the table, “But?” 

Derek shook his head, “It doesn’t matter.” 

“Tell us.” Spencer encouraged, “Please?”

“Why? I think you know what I’m going to say and I really don’t want to say it and ruin our friendship.” Derek gave a strained smile, “I am truly happy for you both, let’s just move on.”

“Do you like Spencer?” JJ asked. 

“Jayje-”

“It’s a simple question,” JJ pressed on, “Do you like Spencer? Yes or no?”

“Of course I like him!” Derek narrowed his eyes at her, “He’s my best friend of course I like him.”

“But are you attracted to him? Do you want to date him?” JJ asked, “Do you like him like I like him?”

Derek took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice from shaking, “What do you want me to say?” 

“The truth, preferably.” She wasn’t going to make this easy on him. 

“Yes, okay?” Derek ran his hands over his face, “But that doesn’t change anything, I’m still happy for you.”

“What about me?” JJ asked. 

“What?” Derek’s mouth went dry.

“Do you like me like you like Spencer?” 

“We’re not in grade school!”

“Don’t evade the question.” Spencer reminded with a smirk. 

“Fuck,” Derek sighed, raising his eyes toward the ceiling. “Yes.”

“Great.” JJ smiled.

“I’m sorry.” Derek felt terrible, he was going to lose them. 

“Why?” JJ asked, “Do you not want to date us?”

“What?”

“JJ is asking if you are sorry because you don’t want to date us.” Spencer elaborated, “At the same time. We understand if you have reservations about joining a couple, but we’ve only really been dating a week. This was technically our first date.” 

“But you two-”

“Spence, was with Lila for a while.” JJ said. “And before that-”

“Is not important.” Spencer interrupted. 

“Whatever, listen Morgan, we knew the other liked you when we got together. You were kind of a main topic in our conversations. So we made a plan to win you over and see if you’d be into dating the two of us. You just beat us to it.” JJ smirked, “So, do you want to date us?”

“Yes?” Derek surprised himself with his answer. “But how?”

“How?” Spencer looked to JJ then back to Derek, “Uh… like today?”

“No, I mean, how will this even work? Are we in an open relationship? Are we cheating on one with each other? Is this a long term thing?” Derek’s mind was spinning, and the waiter bringing the food to the table stalled their conversation. 

They all sat for a moment, eating small bites of their dinners and glancing at each other. 

“I don’t-” Spencer started but stopped abruptly, seemingly lost in his mind. 

“Reid?” Derek reached forward and put his hand on the younger man’s arm. “Hey man, you okay?”

He blinked a few times and nodded, “Yeah.”

“Did you want to say something?” JJ encouraged, hoping he’d figured something out. 

“I don’t know how relationships- I don’t know how healthy relationships really work.” He started, “Hotch and Hailey are my best reference, and they have their own issues. But I think- I hope we could be different, good different.”

“Okay?” Derek nodded. 

“I think if we are committed to each other, we could make it long term.” Spencer continued, “If- if we start by dating, and spend time together outside of work, and we establish a kind of ground rules or an understanding of what our expectations- our wants of this relationship is… we could do it.”

“What makes it a relationship though?” Derek asked. “What makes me your boyfriend and not your friend?”

“Sex.” JJ smirked, trying to lighten the mood. 

Derek let out a nervous chuckle, “Besides that.”

“Our feelings?” Spencer furrowed his brow again. “Isn’t that what makes a relationship?”

“Yes, but I mean, are we dating to marry?” Derek asked, “Marrying more than one person isn’t legal.”

“Technically we wouldn't be able to get married anyway.” Spencer pointed out, “And marriage isn’t important, we can work all the legal stuff out when we feel like we’re there, it’d probably be good to do that when we start looking for a house, or when we move into one place- together. We could also then talk about having a ceremony or something, a commitment ceremony maybe. It wouldn’t be a legally binding ceremony, but with good lawyers and enough thinking, we could do it. If you're worried about kids, JJ could marry one of us, probably you, and then name me as the godfather, or next of kin, that way our kids would be secured. Telling your family may pose a problem, but based on the way you talk about them they love you. Also your mother seems to be respected by your extended family and she while she might not understand our relationship, she would support you and by extension our relationship. JJ’s family poses a separate issue that we could address when we all agree it is a good time to come out. And my mother…”

“Hey Spence, take a breath.” JJ chuckled. 

“Alright,” Derek nodded. “Where are we staying tonight?”

JJ held her breath, “What?” 

“I’d like to talk more about this, and I’d also like time to process, so I think we should spend the night at someone’s palace.” Derek shrugged, “Not for sex or anything, just so we can relax and process things together.” 

“You’re in?” Hope filled JJ’s voice as she grabbed his hand. 

“The kid convinced me. “Derek smiled. “It’s not going to be easy, but if it means I get to be with the both of you, then I’m willing to put in the work. I’d like to request we go back to my place though, I left my puppy home and didn’t call a sitter.”

“That’s right! How is Clooney?” JJ asked, a huge smile plastered on her face. 

“He’s great, I’m still trying to train him, but he’s a good dog.” Derek smiled proudly. “He is about 50/50 on most of the commands, but he knows ‘sit’, ‘stay’, ‘down’, and ‘walk’, but half the time I think he’s training me.”

“Is he- how is he with new people?” Spencer asked quietly. 

“He loves everyone.” Derek sighed, “That’s what makes him such a terrible guard dog.”

“Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives.” -C.S.Lewis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this story thing is done, but I'll be adding more to the series. Not in any chronological order tho. :)


End file.
